Avenging Those We Lost
by I III II III II III II I
Summary: Hiccup left Berk once he was chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. But if he had left, then who would defeat Drago and his army of reptilian beasts? No one. Berk was Destroyed and Drago now moves on to take more souls. When a few survivors from Berk find a tougher, battle tested Hiccup, they make it their duty to ensure Berk and their families are finally avenged.
1. Moving On, Struggling Along

_**So, this story is a little sad and a little dark, which are my favorite stories.**_

 _ **I write cause its fun and won't write if I'm not enjoying it, so this story will be updated randomly. If an update is taking a little long and if you have questions on the next chapter, PM me and I'll try to clear some things up for you. Enjoy!**_

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Chapter 1

"Moving On, Struggling Along"

The beaten ship rocked steadily on the calm waters. Its sails were torn, letting what little wind there was seep through. There were no sailors on the deck rowing the ship along, so the vessel sat atop the water underneath a clear blue sky. It was a peaceful day for sailing, but the people aboard weren't in the mood.

There were fifteen sailors below deck. They were the sole survivors of a horrible and unexpected battle. Among the fifteen were Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Astrid. They all sat hushed, their backs resting against the walls of the ship.

A little girl sat huddled in the corner. Her eyes were wide and her body trembled. Astrid understood the small girl's terror; Astrid had been a witness to watching the girl watch as she lost her parents to Drago and his army of dragons. Astrid was helpless towards the little girl, unable to help save the girl's parents for her. Astrid didn't even know her name.

Astrid sat down next to the little girl. She didn't acknowledge Astrid, it seemed as if she was staring off into another world, and didn't like what she was looking at. Astrid put her hand on her shoulder awkwardly. She was a warrior, not a comforter.

"Hey, it's, uh... it' gonna be alright. You made it off of Berk alive, it shows that you're a strong warrior. You, me, everyone on this ship is strong enough to get through this." The little girl didn't seem to hear her. Astrid could understand, she didn't fully believe her words either. She sighed and put her arm fully around the girl. She stopped trembling after a moment and seemed to nestle in closer to Astrid. A small smile graced Astrid's lips.

She looked around at the other Vikings. The twins weren't bickering for once and were sitting close to each other. Fishlegs was flipping through one of his books that had been on him when he fled Berk, but his mind was in a different place. Snotlout still looked terrified, but he gripped his spiked club with the will to fight on. Gustav was sleeping on a couple sacks of flour while his mother watched him. Adding insult to injury, Mildew had managed to scurry his way onto the boat. He was grumbling to himself in another corner. Astrid didn't really know the others that were on the ship. She remembered their faces, just not their names.

Astrid also knew that Drago wasn't going to stop taking over colonies of vikings and people. She prayed that night that she would get another shot at killing the madman.

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Night came and went as it always had. Astrid knew things would be different from there on out. They would either die or survive and, Astrid being the warrior that she is, decided that the latter of the two was the one she would lead all the others to.

Astrid, Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout and Fishlegs forced themselves onto the ship's deck. They only had enough food for a few days, so they needed to find land.

"Alright, since I'm the strongest one here, I'll be in charge," Snotlout pronounced, puffing out his chest. Sleeping must have refueled his ego tank. The group shot him a look, but Snotlout was of course immune to it. He bounded up to the ship's steering wheel and gripped it tightly.

"Uh, I think Astrid should-"

"Follow me?" Snotlout said, "Yes, I agree with you, Fish." Astrid rolled her eyes and started studying her map. Fishlegs peered over her shoulder. He placed a finger on the map.

"We're here, west of Skull Rock," he said.

"So the closest island are the Berserker's," Astrid said.

"Uh, guys," Tuffnut piped up.

"Not now, Tuff."

"But, it's kinda important."

"I doubt that," Fishlegs said.

"But-"

All of a sudden the ship rocked violently and creaked loudly. They all lost their footing and tumbled across the deck until the ship steadied. The little girl from below deck crawled outside. "What was that!"

Tuffnut propped his head up. "SCOULDRON!" The vikings from below deck came out armed with whatever they were able to grab before fleeing their island at the mention of the sea dragon. Other than Astrid's axe and Snotlout's club, they only had kitchen knives as weapons. But, that was good enough for them.

"Where is the beast?" a viking with a black scruffy beard yelled. No one answered. Only Tuffnut had seen it.

"It-it was right-" Tuffnut twirled around. "It was right... there!" he pointed into the water. The scruffy bearded man walked over and looked over the edge. His eyes scanned the water, and aside from a bubble or two, couldn't see anything in the calm water.

"Bah! Your seeing thin-" was all he had time to say before a large, scaly green tail shot up from the water and wrapped around the viking, pinning his arms against his fat stomach. The viking let out a compressed grunt before the tail dragged him up and over the ship.

The little girl screamed.

"Hoark!" a woman shouted. It was Gustav's mother. Astrid began shouting orders to her viking crew. When Fishlegs stopped working, Astrid snapped at him.

"What are you doing!" She yelled. Fishlegs dropped his pale and pointed behind her, his eyes wide. Astrid whipped around. There, coming out of the water, was the biggest dragon she had ever seen.

The Scouldron placed it's giant front fins on the side of the boat, tilting the whole vessel until it was almost vertical. Some of the vikings grabbed onto ropes, Astrid stood on the side of the ship's mast, and the little girl was propping herself in the doorway.

"MOM!" Gustav shouted. He was safe beside the little girl in the doorway, but his mother was dangling dangerously close to the Scouldron. Gustav tried moving out of the doorway to help his mother.

"Don't do it!" the little girl said, trying to keep him back. "You'll get yourself hurt!" but Gustav wasn't hearing her, his mind was already set on helping his mother. Gustav tried to shove his way past the girl, almost knocking her down and into the Scouldron's waiting mouth. The dragon roared fiercely.

"Gustav!" Astrid shouted. "Stay back! Or I'm going to-" Gustav accidently pushed the girl a little to hard and she fell. Astrid's breath caught as the little girl grabbed onto a loose rope with a scream. Astrid wanted to call to the girl, but didn't know her name.

Gustav began to try and reach the rope his mother was holding.

"Gustav! Don't!" his mother called. Luckily, the rope seemed to just be out of Gustav's reach.

Astrid knew they wouldn't be alive for much longer, especially when she noticed the Scouldron start to fill up it's cheeks with scalding hot water. She gripped her battle axe by the handle and held it over her shoulder, aiming it at the sea dragon's head. Without giving it a second thought, she threw her axe and watched as it lodged itself into the side of the Scouldron's head. The dragon roared in pain.

"Gustav!" the little girl yelled. The stupid kid jumped for the rope his mother was on. He missed. Astrid looked just in time to see him miss his mother's waiting hand. The poor kid slid down to the raging dragon. The Scouldron sunk back down into the ocean, his flipper scooping Gustav down with him.

The ship fell back down to it's natural position in the sea as the weight of the dragon disappeared. Gustav's mother ran over to the edge of the boat. "Gustav!"

Astrid sighed. Damn all those beast to hel. She walked her way over to the little girl lying on her back. She was breathing hard. Astrid helped her sit up. "You okay?"

After a few more deep breaths, the girl asked about Gustav. Astrid looked over at the kid's parent. She was weeping over the side of the boat. Fishlegs took it upon himself to help console the grieving woman.

"He's in Valhalla now," Astrid said. The little girl sniffed, trying not to cry.

"I tried to stop him," she said. Astrid nodded.

"I know." Astrid helped the girl stand up. The little girl quickly hugged Astrid's waist. Astrid let out a small gasp. She wasn't much of a hugger, but she guessed she could make an exception.

"Thanks," the little girl said.

"For what?"

"For being there. My mom was always there for me, now you are." Astrid had to smile at that. The girl was already making her soft. With her messy short black hair and teal blue eyes, it was almost impossible not to feel protective of her. Astrid wasn't sure why she would say what she would, but knew it was true. "And I always will." The little girl gave a true smile, Astrid's was a little sadder.

"What in blazes was that!" an old man yelled. Mildew came out onto the deck. "Can't an old man get his rest."

"Scouldron attack," Astrid said as she led the little girl by the hand.

"Lost two more Berkians," Snotlout said gloomily. Mildew glanced over at the grieving mother.

"Bah!" he said before returning back below the deck.

Astrid sat the little girl on the other side of the ship. "Why don't you stay up here? That way I can keep an eye on you." The little girl nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," she said. Astrid smiled and got up to leave.

"Wait, uh... Miss!" the girl shouted, standing up. Astrid turned back to her. The girl ran up to her. "I don't know your name."

Astrid laughed. "Astrid. My name's Astrid." the girl smiled.

"I like that name. Mines Taliyah," the girl said.

"Taliyah, nice to meet you." Astrid held out her hand. Taliyah giggled, but quickly put on a serious face to shake her new friend's hand.

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"So, any idea on how to get this pile of wood moving?" Ruffnut said to any open ear. Fishlegs looked up at the torn sail.

"We'll have to patch that up," he said.

"I saw some blankets below deck. Couldn't we use those?" Taliyah said. Fishlegs looked at her.

"Those'd be perfect." Taliyah smiled

"I'll go get them," she said, and then ran off.

Fixing up the ship went slowly. The crew was working slow, with the exception of Astrid and Taliyah. It had just been a day since the events that took place at Berk and the memory was weighing them down.

Gustav's mother, Sheril, retreated below the deck to grieve. Another viking followed her to give her some moral support.

It wasn't until night began to come that the ship was in proper sailing condition. The repairs, however, did take up some of their supplies. Snotlout walked up to the ships wheel, in which Astrid was using.

"Hey, I just did a check on our food supplies. We only have enough for another day, if we're lucky," Snotlout said, worry etched onto his brow. Astrid sighed. Berserker island was a week away, and that's hoping the weather was on their side.

"We'll figure something out," Astrid said. "We're the last Berkians, the tribe lives or dies with us."

"That's a lot of weight to carry," Snotlout grumbled. Astrid nodded.

"A lot more than I would prefer," Astrid agreed. It was a rare sight to see both the Hofferson and the Jorgenson kid getting along. Most of their conversations are heated arguments about most anything. Snotlout's pride and ego would eventually get to Astrid and the two would get thrown into another argument. But, they couldn't waist their energy on petty arguments anymore.

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"Astrid?"

Astrid rolled in her sleep, but didn't wake. Taliyah shoved her shoulder a little harder. "Astrid." still, she didn't wake. Taliyah grabbed her face to look at her, pinching her cheeks together.

"Astrid!" Taliyah said a bit louder. Groggily, Astrid opened her eyes. Taliyah gave her some room.

"What?" Astrid whispered, sounding not at all pleased with being woken up. "Is it my turn-"

"Mildew's gone," Taliyah said. Astrid sat up.

"What?" she said, a sharpness in her tone. Ruffnut stirred in her sleep beside them. Taliyah held a finger up to her lips. "Sh."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Where's Mildew?"

"I don't know. I woke up to go potty and he wasn't where he was sleeping," Taliyah said. Astrid stood up.

"Stay here," she said. "I'm going to look for him. He's probably just getting some fresh air." With that, Astrid went up to the deck. It was almost pitch black outside. The crescent moon's little light being blocked out by the thin layer of clouds.

"Mildew!" Astrid call. Nothing. She walked around the deck finding no sign of the old man. But, she did find a sleeping Tuffnut leaning against the mast, hugging a bucket to his chest. Astrid grunted in annoyance and the kicked the sleeping viking. Tuffnut woke with a jerk.

"Eh, who gos there?" he said, slurring his words together.

"You're suppose to be watching for danger!" Astrid growled. Tuffnut clumsily stood up.

"I am," he said, straightening his back. Astrid gave him a death stare. Tuff gulped.

"M'kay, so I stopped for a little rest. What's the prob-"

"Mildew's gone."

"Gone?"

"I can't find him anywhere."

"He couldn't have gotten anywhere. We're on a boat." Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Well aren't you a genius," she grumbled.

"Really? Huh, I always thought of myself as average intelligence," Tuffnut said, looking proud. Astrid scoffed and dragged him by the collar of his shirt.

"Come on," she said. It didn't take long for the two to search the boat. And after their searching, they did make one discovery that could answer Mildew's disappearance. A life boat was missing from the side of the boat.

"So Mildew took a life boat? So what, it's just one less mouth to feed," Tuffnut said. Astrid sighed.

"You're right, Tuff," she said. Tuffnut smiled.

"Maybe your right, Astrid. I might be a genius after all."

Astrid didn't let on and went back below deck to check on their supplies. Taliyah got up to greet her.

"You find him?" she asked, but Astrid just walked past her. Taliyah noticed the worry on Astrid's face and decided not to press her. She watched as Astrid lifted a little trap door to where they kept their food. Taliyah looked over her shoulder.

"It's gone. All of it," Astrid said quietly. And Taliyah new what she meant. All the food and clean drinking water was gone.

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 ** _Leave a review, lets me know you guys and gals want more._**


	2. Storms Rage, Hearts Break

_**A/N: I can't believe the positive feedback I got from the first chapter! 7 reviews, all of them positive!? This is why this chapter is out as early as it is.**_

 _ **Excuse any spelling mistakes. I re-read it, but I'm sure a few mistakes seeped through. I was just to excited to post this chapter!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 _ **PS: A reader mentioned fishing, I'll explain why they couldn't do that in the next chapter.**_

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 _ **WARNING: MAY BE A LITTLE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWRS.**_

 _ **You've been warned.**_

Chapter 2

"Storms Rage, Hearts Break"

Thunder crackled and lightning shot across the sky. The waves were relentless in their efforts to splinter the wood that made up the boat.

"Get below deck!" Astrid shouted to her Berkian friends.

Snotlout shouted back, "But, the ship-"

"It's to dangerous! There's nothing we can do! Now GET BELOW DECK!" Snotlout growled and did as he was told.

"We're gonna die!" Fishlegs shouted to himself as he ducked under the doorway. Ruffnut and Tuffnut scrambled in at the same time, ending up getting wedged in the doorway.

"Move! I wanna live!" Ruffnut shouted to her twin.

"Get out of my way, Ratface!" Tuffnut shouted back. Astrid shoved them both in and then closed the door behind her.

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Days At Sea: 3

"Astrid, I'm hungry."

"I know, Taliyah, we're all hungry."

The storm had raged on for two days, how the ship was still floating was a miracle. But, now they faced another problem; they were starving. Since the storm didn't sink their ship, they were actually able to gain a few days worth of drinking water. It was Fishlegs' idea.

"You can thank that runt of a viking Hiccup for that," Snotlout spat in an answer to Taliyah's question. Fishlegs rolled his eyes.

"How do you figure that?" he asked.

"If we didn't find his ship blueprints we would have never thought of adding a life boat. Hence, Mildew couldn't have taken it to escape with our food." Snotlout glared at Fishlegs, as if his question was dumb.

"This ship was designed by Hiccup?" Astrid said. Snotlout rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Chief found my cousin's books. They're filled with a bunch of nerd drawings and stuff," he said.

"Huh." Astrid hadn't known Hiccup drew blueprints. But, then again, what else could he had been drawing all those years ago.

"Who's Hiccup?" Taliyah asked. Astrid looked down at the girl, snuggled warmly against her side. It was odd, really. Astrid was against any type of touching that didn't involve trying to physically injure another. But, even when Astrid had told her not too, Taliyah managed to snuggle up close to her. She knew that no matter how mad or steely eyed Astrid got, she'd never hurt her.

"He was the late chiefs son, but he died a long time ago," Astrid said.

"That's it? He just died? How'd he die?" Taliyah pressed on. Astrid groaned and rolled her eyes.

"What's with all the questions?"

"I've only asked two."

"Yeah, well..." - Astrid took a deep breath. She was very upset with her current position in life. - "Sorry. About five years ago, Hiccup went missing on the day he was suppose to kill the Monstrous Nightmare in dragon training. The search parties said he was killed by a dragon." Taliyah let loose a shaky breath.

"Were you guys in training with him, too?" Taliyah asked. Astrid nodded.

"Yes. Fish, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff and I. We all trained together."

"He must have been a really good dragon fighter if he beat all you guys." Astrid straightened out a little.

Fishlegs nodded in agreement. "Hiccup must have trained really hard, cause all of a sudden he was the best in the class."

"My cousin was a dork... but, I've never seen someone handle dragons like he did," Snotlout said.

The twins agreed.

"The little fella could get dragon's to collapse without using a weapon," Ruffnut said.

"It was awesome!" her male counterpart said.

"ENOUGH!" Astrid shouted. "Hiccup was a cheater! How else would you explain him getting devoured by a dragon in the _wild_? He had no real skill." Astrid rested her back against the ship with her arms crossed, agitated.

"Oh," Taliyah said quietly.

Silence. When Astrid was angry, it had a tendency to keep others quite, unless you were looking for a new battle scar.

After awhile, Fishlegs finally spoke up. "The storm seemed to have passed, I'm gonna go see what I can see." with that, he went up to the deck, Tuffnut and Ruffnut behind him. Astrid groaned and got up to follow, motioning for Snotlout to do the same.

"Can I come, too?" Taliyah asked, looking up at Astrid.

"Do what you want," Astrid said coldly, then she left. Snotlout shrugged in her direction.

"Don't mind her," he said. "She get's cranky real easy."

"Oh, okay," Taliyah said quietly. Snotlout patted her on the shoulder, then followed the others to the deck. Taliyah decided it would be best if she just rested where she was.

The storm had definitely cleared up, leaving just a handful of clouds floating in the blue sky. The waters were calm, everything was peaceful. But, there was one problem...

"Ah well, we didn't really need that anyway," Snotlout grumbled, gesturing to the mast, or what was left of it. The storm had all but completely tore the main mast off of the ship, taking the only sail with it.

Astrid cursed. "Now what?" she looked at Fishlegs, expecting the smartest one of the group to have some brilliant answer, he just shrugged. Astrid sighed.

"Where's a spyglass, maybe we were pushed closer to land," Astrid said. Fish handed her one from his pouch.

Astrid walked up to the front of the ship and looked through the spyglass, scanning the across the vast ocean. She pointed off to the right.

"It looks like there's some land in that direction," she said, turning back to the group.

"Oh, well that's great. So I guess we'll just push the ship there?" Tuffnut said sarcastically. Astrid shot him a glare, Tuff just rolled his eyes.

"He's got a point, Astrid. How are we suppose to get there?" this was Fishlegs, stepping toward the blond viking.

"We got oars?" Astrid asked.

"This really isn't the type of boat you use oars with."

"But do we have them?"

Fishlegs sighed, defeated. "Yes. We got about four."

"There," Astrid said, faking excitement. "Lets go get off this giant bucket."

They went in shifts of four for four hours at a time. They carved some holes in the ship below deck so their oars could reach the water.

They had been at it for ten hours and were hardly moving. But, they were moving. At the oars were Tuffnut, Snotlout, a viking named Urt and another named Sven. Taliyah was sitting above deck watching Fishlegs and Astrid work, and Gustav's mother leaned against the ships railing, looking out at the ocean.

The sea was still calm, which made rowing a little bit easier. Just a little.

Days At Sea: 5

Fishlegs laid on the deck of the ship, the sun heating up his skin to an almost dangerous level. No one on the ship had eaten anything for almost a week. The food rations were completely scrapped. There was nothing.

Urt even got so desperate as to even try to eat his own boot. He was laying below deck, sick and getting sicker.

Fishlegs didn't know if he could go on. He was the fattest one on the ship, but that didn't mean he had extra food stored away in his belly. No, you could clearly see the effects of starvation start to take its tole on the man.

He was easily down fifteen pounds, and that's being generous.

They had given up rowing, all of the strength had completely left them. And, to add insult to injury, the island was now in sight, though miles away.

Fishlegs thought he'd never set foot ashore alive again. It was a popular thought on the boat.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut never get along. They argued about anything they could think of. But now, they leaned against the others back. They were skinny before, but now it was almost like their skin was just draped over the bones, barely clinging on.

Astrid and Snotlout were below the deck, helping a dying viking through her last moments. Taliyah spying on them from the corner of the room.

Silva, mother to late Gustav, was lying on her death bed. She was just to hungry, the will to fight on had left her after her son disappeared. And as she lie there, there was only one thought on her mind.

Astrid held her hand, Snotlout sat on the other side of the woman, his arms crossed against his chest, his face contorted in sadness.

"It's going to be okay," Astrid said quietly, though she knew that there was no hope for the woman. Snotlout looked away.

Silva forced a smile. "I know."

"You're going to see you son again."

A tear welled up in Silva's eye. She sniffled. "Do you... do you think if we searched, we would've found him? It seemed like he just fell in the water."

Astrid looked her in the eyes, the sadness in them made her turn away.

"Dragons don't let people live... Gustav was gone when he hit the water," Astrid said, her voice slipping into a whisper. Silva closed her eyes, the tear falling down her cheek. When she opened them, she saw Taliyah, peeking over her knees.

Silva smiled. "You got a little girl to protect, Astrid. She sees you as family now."

Astrid looked over her shoulder, giving the little girl a small smile. "I don't know how I'm gonna get her out of this. I won't be able to get myself out of this." Astrid said to Silva.

"You're a smart girl, you'll figure something out." with some effort, Silva managed to clasp Astrid's hand with hers. Giving one last smile, her eyes slowly drifted close. She was gone.

Astrid bowed her head. A sniffle could be heard from behind her. Looking at Snotlout, she said, "Help me get her up to the deck."

Snotlout knew what she would want to do next; throw her into the ocean. But, a different thought entered Snotlout's mind.

"Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?" he asked. Astrid looked at him funny, but agreed. They went up to the ship's steering wheel.

Snotlout looked nervous, his arms crossed, pacing back and forth. Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she said.

Snotlout looked at her and bit one of his finger nails, seemingly forcing himself to speak. "My uncle told me a story one time when I was little. He... They..." Snotlout took a shaky breath, forcing himself to continue on. "My uncle was in love with sailing. Every chance he got, he got his crew together and went out onto the water. They usually tried to catch fish, or they just sailed... I don't know. But, one day, when they were out at sea, they got attacked by pirates. They won, but, afterwards, a storm hit. They got pushed far off course; they had no clue where they ended up.

Before they knew it, their food was gone. Water wasn't a problem yet... probably cause of the storm... anyway, they were all starving. After two of the men died of starvation, my uncle proposed a plan, a last resort kind of thing. And, fearing death, the other sailors agreed to... to eat the two that had died..."

Astrid looked at him with a mix disgust and disbelief. Snotlout had a similar look.

"No." Astrid said firmly. "I'm not -"

"If you could, would you save everyone here?" Snotlout asked. "Or let them die, even though you knew you could save them."

Astrid looked away, tears gathering in her eyes. "You can't eat a dead person."

"The body's fresh enough," Snotlout argued. "Come on, Astrid. It's our only – our _last_ chance."

"How do you know the others will eat?"

Snotlout sighed. "It'll be their choice. At the least, you could trick Taliyah into taking some. You, her and I would at least live."

Astrid still looked unsure, she could barely hold back the tears.

"If we don't, the last Berkians die on this ship," Snotlout finished, waiting for her answer. A tear slipped down Astrid's cheek.

"Help me bring the body up to the deck, then make sure everyone is below deck," Astrid said, her voice shaky. "Especially Taliyah." Snotlout nodded

It took a little bit of arguing, but Astrid and Snotlout were able to get everyone below. The body of Silva lied on a large blanket on the deck. Astrid and Snotlout were on their knees, looking down on her body. Snotlout clutched a dagger, his fist shaking with anger. He was furious with what he had to do.

He placed the dagger at Silva's inner thigh. Before he went any farther, he looked at Astrid. "You don't have to be here," he said.

Astrid shook her head. "I agreed to do this, I'm not letting you do it alone." Snotlout didn't smile, he didn't show any emotion, he just looked back down at the lifeless body, and made the first cut.

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Lying about it was almost as hard as doing the deed. After they 'disposed' of the body, they found a hidden compartment filled with meat. Snotlout telling them that it must have been one of Hiccup's ideas helped make them believe. And the sight of actual food was all but impossible to resist.

Cooking it on the boat was difficult. They had to go back up to the deck and carefully make a, very controlled, fire. The deck was clean, the blood having been washed away by Snotlout and Astrid.

There wasn't to much food, but, for the night, everyone was full.

Astrid sat alone on the deck after the meal, watching the other vikings talk, for the first time in a week, with merriment. Taliyah walked up and sat beside her.

"I knew you could do it," she said happily.

Astrid looked at her, trying her best not to look sad. "Do what?"

"Save us," she said simply. Snotlout walked over.

"Night's almost here. We'll row to that land tomorrow," he said, then he went below deck.

"I knew we would make it," Taliyah said. The little girl got up and skipped away.

That night, when everyone was in a deep sleep, Astrid went up to the deck. She collapsed. And wept.

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 _ **A/N: I won't comment on how wrong eating a dead person is... it's just wrong.**_

 _ **Hope this chapter was satisfactory to y'all!**_

 _ **{}{}{}**_

 _ **Now, I believe I responded to all my reviews on chapter 1, but if I missed you, let me know.**_

 _ **I hope to read your comments soon!**_


	3. When A Super Power Rises

**_A/N: Okay, so... holy crap! You guys have been killing it with the reviews. Chapter 1 has, I think, 10. And chapter two has 13. Which is crazy awesome. That's why I stayed up till 1:30am to finish this chapter for you guys._**

 ** _Sorry it's a bit shorter than the first two, but that's just how it worked out._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

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Chapter 3

"For Every Super Power That Rises, A Force Rises To Fight It"

It was early morning and the only one awake was Astrid. She was sitting alone on the deck, her feet dangling over the side of the ship, her head resting on the railing. She stared out towards the island. Or, where the island used to be.

Her heart ached, her mind raced. Her emotions were sad and dark. When Astrid disagreed with something, she turned mean. And eating a body of a once living person, that was very, very wrong in her mind.

But, her heart told her a different story. While it didn't agree with what she had done, it did agree that the people were more important. Her heart cared more for the living than it did for the dead.

So, Astrid sat there, an internal battle raging on inside her over whether it was right or wrong, what she had done last night.

It was some time later when Fishlegs made his way up onto the deck.

"I'm still starving," he said, "but at least I got enough energy to move." He laughed. Astrid just stared out at sea. Fishlegs immediately took note. "You okay, Astrid?"

The girl in question sighed. "Island's gone," she said. Fishlegs looked at her for a moment, then burst into a small fit of laughter.

"Yeah, good one. I don't think islands can move themselves, Astrid. And we definitely didn't move, the anchor made sure of that," Fishlegs said.

Astrid pointed out at sea, towards where the island should have been. Fishlegs narrowed his eyes, slowly walking towards the other blond viking. She was right; the island, their chance, was gone. His eyes grew wide and he retreated a few steps.

"But...How did the... What?" he was flabbergasted. Astrid just sighed.

"Come on, Fish, think; why isn't it there anymore?" she said flatly. Fishlegs took a few quick breaths before he was able to calm down enough to think properly.

"Okay, okay." Fishlegs took a few deep breaths, then began to run through his mind any and all the reasons as to why an island could be there one moment and gone the next. The only thing he could come up with was a trick on the mind. Their souls were broke and they were starving. They all wanted to see something that could spell 'safety'. And so Fishlegs guessed their brain showed their eyes something they wanted to see. An island.

But, now that they weren't hungry, tired or even that sad at the moment, the brain must have thought they didn't need anymore encouragement. Back to the start.

The others began to wake after a little bit more time. Astrid didn't acknowledge hardly anyone. She just gave them a cold shoulder, even Taliyah when she rushed up onto the deck. She left Fishlegs to explain the lack of island and, well, a chance of survival.

When most everyone was on the deck, Astrid retreated below. Taliyah watched her, but decided it best if she just gave her some space.

Urt was still sick. He threw up the human meat that was fed to him. Astrid was afraid he wouldn't make. To be honest, however, she feared none of them would make it. She crouched next to him.

"How you feeling?" she asked. Urt strained to look at her, then looked away. Astrid sighed and put her hand on Urt's sweaty arm. _Poor guy_.

Snotlout was mad. And not because of what he had done the other day. No, he was made because of two other things. The first; the island was gone. The odds of everyone's mind playing a trick on them was a little disturbing.

Two; he was currently looking at a small school of fish in the water. If they could have just nabbed those fish, they wouldn't have done the awful deed they had to do. But, that backstabbing worm Mildew stole more then their food, he took their means of getting new food as well. He hoped that pile of old bones was dead at the bottom of the ocean.

He grunted and pushed away from the edge of the boat. He turned to study his crew. They were hunched over, looking at the deck. They had all woke up with a bit of step in their mood. Well... Surprise! Life sucks!

He growled to himself. Snotlout had seen Astrid, and he was a little surprised, to say the least. He would need help getting these people to safety, and Astrid was the best on suited for the job. But she was sulking below deck.

It wasn't like her and it pissed Snotlout off that she chose now to have a soft heart. Astrid should be determined, giving great speeches to the crew, giving them motivation to push on. Instead, she left Snotlout out to dry.

Snotlout rolled his shoulders. It was his time to lead. It was his time to shine. He jogged up to the ship's wheel to get an overview look on the deck. Cupping his mouth, he shouted, "Listen up!" Everyone turned their heads. Snotlout cleared his throat.

"Alright! Now, I know you guys are all a little depressed about the whole island thing. Kay? I am, too. But, we have to use what little strength we have to find a _real_ island. Or anything that could help us live on to fight another day!" Snotlout pump his fist in the air. No one showed any kind of excitement. Snotlout awkwardly put his fist down.

Taliyah trotted up the steps beside him. Snotlout continued his speech when Taliyah tugged on his shirt.

"What?" he whispered harshly, not at all happy with the interruption.

Taliyah pointed out towards the sea. "Ship."

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Astrid was notified immediately. And, with her ax in hand, she stood up tall and proud when the stranger ship sailed up next to them.

A gruff, short fat sailor with short black hair and a long and unruly beard shouted, "Ahoy there! Looks like you could use some assistance!"

Astrid cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. Their sails didn't say pirates, but Astrid wasn't going to take any chances. "You offering some?"

The gruff man laughed. Not in a sinister way, but a jovial way. "If the pretty lady permits, we'd be glad to help! The sea's a dangerous place and we sailors need to stick together."

Astrid looked over at Snotlout.

"We have a choice?" he asked. Astrid took a breath.

"Whatever help you can give, we'd be grateful for it," Astrid said. The man clapped.

"Very well!" he said with a smile. "We're gonna board your ship, if that's okay with you, of course." Astrid nodded.

"Good!" The gruff man motioned to one of his sailors and they brought out a long plank and placed it down onto the ships' railing. Astrid tightened her grip on her ax as the the gruff man and two of his crew mates walked over. He had a pretty bad limp on his left leg and he was shorter than Astrid had thought, only coming up to her shoulder.

"Name's Gard," the gruff man said, holding his hand out towards Astrid. She shook it carefully.

"Astrid," she introduced herself. Gard and his men eyed the ship.

"Looks like you've guys been through quite a lot," he said. Tuffnut scoffed.

"You're telling us," he said. The man just smiled at him.

"Not to worry," he said. "Our town isn't to far from here. We'd be glad to take you back with us."

Astrid looked the man and his crew over with cold eyes. She hardly noticed Taliyah walk over and grab her free hand in hers. She sighed.

"How far is your town?" Astrid asked. Gard shrugged.

"Just about a day or two. With good winds we could be there by dawn," he said. Astrid would have to take a chance and trust them. She thought about finding out where their town was and try to get there on their own boat, but the ship couldn't make it even with all the luck in the world.

"Alright," Astrid said, putting on a smile. "We'd be grateful if you let us join you on your way home."

"Oh, it won't be a problem, Astrid," Gard said. "Our little town loves new folks. You guys got any good stories, they'll really love you if you can tell some good stories."

"Oh, we can tell quite a few stories," Astrid said. Gard clapped again.

"Magnificent! Come, come, get what you need and we'll continue on to our little town," Gard said.

"Alright. But, we've got nothing here, only a sick man below deck," Astrid said. Gard's smile, which he's had since they first started talking, slipped into a small frown.

"He's not contagious, is he?" Gard asked. "My men and I, well, having a sick man on a little ship wouldn't do us much good."

Astrid shook her head. "No. Just got some food poisoning."

"Ah!" Gard said. "All's good then." He turned to his men. "Come on, lets get these lovely folks off this sullen vessel!"

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To the Berkians' relief, Gard let them have some time to themselves after they boarded his ship. For about ten minutes.

"So, you said you've got some good stories?" Gard asked Astrid. A few other sailors gathered around, wanting to hear what stories the newcomers had. Astrid fake smiled, not at all wanting to talk all happy and nonchalant like. Not after what she had been through. At the moment, she just wanted to be alone.

"Yeah. I've got a few I could tell," Astrid said, but Gard detected something in her voice, something that wasn't quite as friendly as she was letting on.

"But, you don't want to tell them? I'm guessing they aren't the happiest of stories," Gard said. "I'm guessing that broken ship is just the tip of the iceberg?"

Astrid downcast her eyes. Gard held up his hands.

"Sorry," he said. "Um, can you at least tell me where you're from? Maybe we could-"

"Berk," Snotlout cut in. "We're from Berk. Before it was destroyed." He glanced at Astrid, then took a step back.

"Berk? You dragon riders, too?" Gard asked, seemingly ignoring the second part of what Snotlout said. Astrid's head snapped up, eyes again cold, but this time also curios.

"Dragon riders?" she asked.

"I take that as no," Gard said. "I only ask because the War-chief is rumored to be from Berk."

Astrid cocked her head. "Warchief?"

"Yes. He's part of the Resistance, rides a dragon supposedly as well. While most of the generals and captains are well known, the Warchief is pretty mysterious. Not much known about him... other than he's suppose to ride dragons, of course."

"Okay, back up. Resistance?" Astrid said, the other Berkians closing in to hear what Gard had to say. It all sounded very interesting to them.

"Oh yeah. The Resistance is aiming at fighting back Drago Bludfist. One of the Resistance's leaders is back on our land right now," Gard said.

"You think this leader can tell us more about this Dragon Rider from Berk?" Astrid asked. Gard held up his hands in fake surrender.

"Whoa whoa whoa, I said _rumored_. No one knows really anything about him, other than he exists," Gard said. Astrid took a deep breath. No point in pushing a matter the man knew nothing about.

"Alright. What can you tell me about this Resistance then?" she asked. Gard nodded.

He went on to explain that the Resistance was fairly small, but growing in numbers quickly. And that the mystery Warchief somehow played a very big role, apparently giving the promise that they could win this fight against Drago. Tho the reason why was only shared among high members of the Resistance.

The leader of the Resistance was a man named Cepher (sef-er). There were 2 generals and 4 captains under his command. They totaled about 2,000 men ready to fight, but were still out numbered 10-1 compared to Drago's army. And that wasn't even counting his reptilian soldiers.

The Berkians listened to all the tales about the Resistance that Gard tolled. How they were winning little fights and starting to agitate Drago. How the Warchief was supplying the Resistance with some kind super weapon, allowing them to win these fights.

The Berkians couldn't believe it; there was another army out there fighting the monster that destroyed their home. However, they should have known someone would have disagreed with Drago, but knowing there was a chance to actually fight Drago lifted there spirits a great deal.

Astrid leaned in, determination written all over her face. "Alright, Gard, I've got only one more question for you. How do I join the Resistance?"

* * *

 ** _A/N: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you guys already know who the mystery Warchief is. And I won't say anything more about him._**

 ** _Keep killing the reviews guys and gals! And I'll see you on the next the chapter!_**


	4. Goodnight, Don't Let The Nightmares Bite

_**A/N: So, here's the full chapter. I hope the wait wasn't to bad, and that you all are still with me on this story.**_

 _ **We're only on chapter four, but you guys and gals have written a total of 45 reviews! (the last five were on the little sneak-peak I put out, so count those if you want)**_

 _ **I do like this chapter, and I hope you guys will, too.**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

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Chapter 4

"Goodnight, Don't Let The Nightmares Bite"

Berk. It was decimated with huge ice shards breaking out of the ground. If you were to look close enough, you could see some human remains. And the two Scouts knew they weren't men from Drago's army.

The Dragon Scouts were sitting atop Deadly Nadders, one dark blue, the other purple. The colors blended in pretty well with the night sky, that and with the Nadder's ability to take off and fly silently made the dragons perfect for the Scouts.

The Nadders were sitting atop a remnant of a viking building, looking over all the destruction Drago had left.

"That smelly dragon-shit didn't even use the island, hee just destroyed it to destroy it," one of the Scouts said, referring to Drago. The Scout was a female, her blue cloak matching her Nadder's scale color. Her hood was pulled back, her black hair was in a ponytail, resting over her shoulder.

The other Scout cursed with a much stronger word. "Hiccup's gonna be pissed at Cepher." He was male. And like his sister Scout, he wore a cloak that matched his Nadder.

"Then we don't tell Hiccup," the female Scout said, still eyeing the carnage.

"Heather?" the other questioned, eyeing her. Heather faced him.

"We'll tell Valka. She'll relay it to Cepher and the council, and tell Hiccup if she feels fit," Heather said.

The male cursed again. "If Hiccup finds out about this, he'll stop giving Cepher his Ace's."

"Or worse," Heather said. The male shook his head.

"I don't think Hiccup would turn on Cepher. He'll probably split from the Resistance, but he won't turn on Cepher." Heather eyed the younger male.

"Hiccup's been slipping a little lately, who knows what the destruction of his village would do to him," Heather said.

The male chuckled slightly. "Perhaps he'll mount his Night Fury and just end Drago."

Heather shook her head. "You're such a child, Baldr." She took off into the dark sky. Heading back to the Scout's base on Dragon's Edge. Baldr scoffed and took off after her.

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Gard's island wasn't an island at all, but a whole continent. The Berkian's ships had been blown of course so much it pushed them up on the mainland's oceans.

It was late when Gard's ship pulled up next to the docks. The captain allowed for the Berkians to spend just the night at his house. To say his wife was surprised to wake up to a bunch of vikings sleeping on the living room floor was an understatement.

But, after the night and a meal, Gard took them to the mayors house to discuss housing arrangements and care for Urt. The mayor was a cranky man who didn't seem to want to put up with the Berkians. It led to an argument about whether the vikings could stay on the island, or if they were to move on. But, Gard was able to secure them a single home.

The mayor grunted and leaned back in his chair. "If you people are going to stay here, I expect you all to find jobs and help out."

Astrid nodded. "Of course."

The mayor eyed her up and down. "How old are you?" Astrid's eyes narrowed, not at all liking the question or how he asked it.

"Not old enough for you," she stated. The mayor licked his lips.

"That's to bad," he said. He turned to his papers on his desk. "Now, if you will excuse me, I've got this Resistance bullshit to deal with."

Astrid immediately took notice, as did the other Berkians.

"Resistance?" Astrid said. "What do you know about them?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you, my sexy little warrior," the mayor said, not taking his eyes off of his papers.

"Not at lib-"

"I'm not going to tell," the mayor said. He looked up from his papers, "Unless you-"

Astrid stormed out of the mayor's house, not taking him up on his offer. Gard ran up to the front of the group.

"I'll take you guys to your house. Work hard and you'll eventually be able to purchase you're own individual homes!" Gard eagerly guided them through the shopping markets and into the part of town where the personal houses were. It reminded the Berkians of a village, but the houses weren't rounded off like the ones on Berk.

The house was a little ways from the rest, which was fine by the Berkians. It looked older, more run down. As soon as he saw it, Fishlegs began thinking up ways to fix up the old cabin. The interior looked like the outside, old and beaten up. The place would definitely need fixing up if all of them were going to be living there.

"Well, here we are," Gard said, walking through the door and into the living room. There was a couch and a cooking fire, with some cabinets along one side of the wall.

"There's one bedroom upstairs," Gard said. He chuckled awkwardly. "Good luck trying to find a place to sleep..." Snotlout glared at him. Gard rubbed the the back of his neck nervously.

"Thank you, Gard. You've been a big help; saved our lives even," Astrid said. Gard smiled appreciatively.

"I'll leave you guys to get comfortable. When you got time, go explore town, meet some folks," Gard said, before limping back out the door. Sven shut it behind him.

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They'd been in the little fishing town known as Fishskin – Taliyah made a very disgusted face when she heard name – for two months and the Berkians were doing their best to fit in with the towns people.

Urt was better, thank Thor. He was helping out the fisherman with their nets and catches, sometimes going out on the water with them. Sven was helping out with the farm animals, the twins and Snotlout were weapon testers and craftsmen in training. Fishlegs got a job at the library. He didn't do much other than read, which was the perfect job in his mind.

Astrid, however, didn't seem to like the town. Her mind was still set on Drago and Berk. Her ultimate goal was to find the blasted man and avenge Berk and everyone she lost. And to find Drago, she would have to find the Resistance... that was more or less just to have a fighting chance against Drago and his army. Astrid was angry, not stupid.

Taliyah seemed to be enjoying the town. She got the only proper bedroom in the house, all the other vikings looking for there own place. But, Astrid was worried about the little girl. She had been having nightmares for the past few nights. Who could blame her? It was surprising to Astrid she held off this long without the horrid dreams.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut suddenly through open the door, looking excited. Tuff fell down to his knees and through his fists in the air, yelling, "We did it!"

Astrid and Taliyah looked at the two questioningly. Astrid hoped they didn't destroy any of the town. They were the new kids and were still trying to fit in.

"What? What did you do?" Astrid asked cautiously.

"We bought a house!" Ruffnut squealed. Then frowned, adding that she remembered she would have to be alone with her brother.

"Wow! That's great guys," Astrid said. First Sven and Urt found separate homes, now the twins – of all people – were going to find a little section to call home in this town. It was worked out that Astrid could keep the house the mayor gave them. She had all but paid for it – she would help out and train young kids how to use basic weapons, for protection.

The old house was in much better shape then when they first moved in. It wasn't quite finished on the outside, but inside was finished and looked almost new. Taliyah came to like the new house. She said she had decorated her room to look like her old one on Berk.

"So when do you guys move in?" Astrid asked.

"We can move our stuff over tomorrow," Ruffnut said proudly.

"Do you guys live close? Can I visit you sometimes?" this was Taliyah, leaving her toys on the floor to stand beside Astrid. A little to close for Astrid's comfort. She found the little girl to be quite invasive to personal space sometimes.

"Oh yeah, it's only a five minute walk," Tuffnut said. Taliyah beamed. She like the twins, their childish nature making her feel like she had some friends who were around her age. And, mentally, the twins were her age.

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It was around dinner when Snotlout and Fishlegs came back from their jobs. Much to Astrid's annoyance, they never ate the food she cooked. She thought they would be appreciative, but no one of them liked her cooking. Even Taliyah ate the food the two would bring home.

"Fish and I are moving out," Snotlout said out of the blue. He, Fishlegs, Astrid and Taliyah were eating dinner Fishlegs and Snotlout brought home.

"You guys, too?" Taliyah said. Fishlegs nodded.

"We're gonna split the money," Fishlegs said, gesturing to Snotlout and himself.

"You two are gonna get the whole place to yourselves," Snotlout said, smiling as he took another bite of food. Taliyah looked at Astrid, not really liking the idea of everyone moving out.

"But, I thought we were a family. Why is everyone moving out?" Taliyah asked.

"House is to small," Astrid said, focusing on her food. "We're bound to drive each other nuts eventually."

Taliyah sighed and went back to her food.

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Every night, Taliyah made Astrid tuck her in. It wasn't up for discussion; if Astrid didn't tuck her in just right, Taliyah wouldn't go sleep. Not couldn't, _wouldn't_.

And tonight would be no different. After the deed was done and Taliyah was snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug, Astrid turned to go into her room, the room right next to Taliyah's. The original room was just one huge room, and so Astrid built a wood wall in the center of it, taking the other half for herself. Taliyah didn't mind, her old room on Berk was closer to the new size of her room.

Before Astrid could escape into her room, Taliyah squeaked, "Wait!"

Astrid sighed and turned to face her, "What?"

Taliyah looked a little nervous and adverted her eyes from Astrid's.

"Uhhh, could you kiss me goodnight? My mom always did," Taliyah said, looking back up at Astrid shyly. Astrid looked at her for a long moment, thinking. She sighed.

"Good night," the viking said, before turning to her room. Taliyah sighed and laid down to sleep.

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 _What, oh what, are you going to do now, little girl?_

Taliyah looked around the forest. She heard the strange man, but couldn't see him. She was alone in the woods.

 _I killed you family, almost made you starve on a boat. Even froze you're entire island. What makes you think you can hide from ME?_

Taliyah trembled and started backing up, her eyes wide and aimed at the heavens. The blood-red heavens.

 _Who can save you? You friends? You've got none. I'm the only one you know, the only one who knows YOU. Just come back to me, little girl, I'll show you your parents._

A point on the forest ground began to ooze a blob of, what appeared to be, blood. The blood began to spread at a rapid rate across the entire forest floor. Afterwards, it began to climb the trees and bushes, completely over taking them within seconds.

 _I control all the dragons. They're everywhere, and they're watching YOU._

The blood began to dissolve the forest, starting from the tops of the highest trees and slowly eating them away.

 _I will NEVER go away, little, tiny, helpless girl. No can protect you, nor the house you live in. I'm coming to find you, I want to show you were parents!_

Taliyah screamed, but nothing came out. The blood was now making the ground disappear, slowly getting closer to where Taliyah stood.

 _Here they are! Lets say hello to you parents!_

The ground finally vanished from below her feet, sending her into a free fall. She got that awful feeling of weightlessness in her stomach. She screamed, this time being rewarded with a loud screech of horror.

And, rising from the depths of the darkness, was the huge dragon that froze Berk. It opened its massive jaws, getting ready for Taliyah.

The little girl kept falling, going head over heals, unable to stop. She kept getting closer, and closer, and closer, until finally... CHOMP!

Taliyah awoke with a start. It wasn't until Astrid burst into her room, hugged her close to her chest, that Taliyah noticed she was screaming. She quickly hugged Astrid around the neck, berrying her face into Astrid's neck, trying not to cry.

"It's okay, it's okay," Astrid had been saying. She pulled them apart after awhile, looking Taliyah in the eyes.

"It's was just another nightmare," Astrid said. Taliyah wiped a stray tear from her eye.

"I know." It came out much more timid than Taliyah intended. A moment passed, then Taliyah asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Astrid looked at the bed, but made up her mind. "Sure, just for tonight."

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"Inform the counsel, tell them we are to have a meeting tomorrow, at dawn, on Fishskin. Don't let Hiccup know," Valka said, leaning back in her chair. Heather nodded, and turned to leave the woman's house. The news came as a shock to Valka. But, that's all it did. She'd get over it in a few minutes, most likely. She hadn't lived on Berk for years, why should it bother her? Not like she was planning on returning.

No, the person it would really upset would be her son. Hiccup had always said he would get Berk to see dragons the way he did. His dream was to get his mother back to his father, to make his family complete again. And, unless Stoick turned tail and ran – which Valka knew was impossible – then that dream would be dead.

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From atop a peak, a man stood with his Night Fury sitting beside him. The man wore light leather armor, a flaming sword on his side. He didn't need armor, even his flaming sword wasn't strong enough to withstand a swing from a real blade.

No, he was not a ground troop. The man was Warchief Haddock. And the Warchief stood on his favorite peak, looking down at the large, flat ground they had made. There, on the ground below the Warchief, was his army, the men and women he was training for the Resistance. There were two hundred of them in total. A relatively small number, but one Ace soldier could take out several men with ease atop their dragons.

Hiccup Haddock watched as another batch of his Aces load up their dragons, taking off to the front lines of the Resistance.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Do I want to end this story with a happy ending? We'll see, the end is far away._**

 ** _Let me read more of your amazing feed back, and I'll see you all on Chapter 5!_**


	5. One Is Betrayed, One Is Saved

_**A/N: Hope the wait wasn't too bad! I actually really like this chapter, and I hope you guys do too!**_

 _ **Hiccup's getting more and more involved with the story as well!**_

* * *

Chapter 5

"One Is Betrayed, Another Saved"

It's was a calm morning for Astrid. Most mornings in the town were.

Astrid had decided that the whether here was somehow better than Berk's. Which was odd, considering they weren't to terribly far from Berk. Sure, they were some time outside the archipelago, but Astrid was still surprised at just how much the whether changed.

For one, it wasn't freezing twenty-fours-even. Grant it, it wasn't what you would call 'warm', but it was considerably less chilly then Berk. Taliyah seemed to love it, always playing in the backyard, even if it was small.

Astrid couldn't count the amount of times Taliyah had nagged her about planting a garden. But there was no way Astrid Hofferson would plant a garden. She didn't care if Taliyah's mother had one, Astrid wasn't a gardener.

The two friends were up a little earlier than usually. The sun hadn't even started to rise yet. If anyone was to blame for the early awakening, Astrid would point her finger in Taliyah's direction. The girl having another nightmare that night, then making her stay awake until dawn with her.

But, after getting Taliyah her toys and a little breakfast, Astrid went to lay on the couch, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep before sunrise.

Taliyah was playing with her toys, though her six-year-old-heart wasn't quite in it that morning. She crawled her way over to Astrid and nudged her shoulder.

"Wanna play?" she asked in a whisper. Astrid just groaned, mumbled something incoherent, and rolled over. With her back now facing Taliyah, Taliyah decided it wasn't worth it. Maybe, when Astrid woke up on her terms, she would be willing to play. There's a first for everything, right?

For now, however, Taliyah would have to entertain herself. After quickly looking through the whole house for something to do, the door caught Taliyah's attention. The town was full of stuff, surely, there was something fun to do outside.

Taliyah looked over at Astrid, lying on the bed. If she knew Taliyah had left the house – while it was still dark out, mind you – she would blow a gasket. Taliyah had seen Astrid angry with Snotlout before, and she didn't wish that fury on anyone.

But, what if Taliyah was able to get back home before Astrid woke up? Then, she could have the best of both worlds; have some fun outside and still not awake the wrath of Astrid.

So, Taliyah decided that she would just go play in the yard for just a few minutes. Quietly, Taliyah opened the door, silently thanking the gods that it didn't squeak. _Fishlegs did a good job fixing the house_ , she thought as she stepped onto the dewy grass. And, just as quietly as before, Taliyah closed the door.

She did it.

Releasing a deep breath, Taliyah turned away from the house. Their house was on top of a little hill, just high enough to see the town's rooftops. It was completely dark, save for the moonlight. But, off in the distance in the town, Taliyah spotted a little orange light.

This wasn't suppose to happen. Taliyah was just going to go play in the backyard, she didn't count on an intriguing orange light to catch her interest. Being a little girl in a still somewhat strange place, seeing a light in the dark told her to turn tail and run back inside to Astrid, jump on her until she woke up, and show her the light.

But, she didn't do that. Taliyah had wondered why Astrid seemed so hostile towards her sometimes. Maybe it was because Taliyah always asked her for stuff, to help her out. And maybe it was because she was always scared of things. Maybe, if she showed some bravery, Astrid would see her as more of an equal. What better way to show bravery than to find out what was making a strange light? Nothing, at least, that's what Taliyah thought.

There were a few torches burning throughout the town, but none were moving like the one she saw. Intrigued, Taliyah bounded the trail that led deeper into the town. The little girl thought the town looked pretty at night. The houses' roofs were illuminated, slowly growing darker the closer to the ground the house got, becoming completely engulfed in shadows.

The town itself was kept nice and tidy. The dirt trail/walkway/road, or whatever you wanted to call it, was kept pretty clean of weeds and was actually kind of soft. You could walk on it for some time and it wouldn't kill you feet.

Many of the houses, even though their yards were small, had little flower beds. The wives of the fishermen must have planted them, Thor knows the men didn't.

The light was getting closer now, but Taliyah started to hear things. At first, she thought that they could be just small animals, like a squirrel or a bird hopping on some twigs or dead leaves. But they began to get louder, leading the girl to a conclusion that the mystery animal was much bigger than she had first thought.

She got to the square and was standing in the middle of the road. Shops were built up all around her in a circle. The shadows from the building stretched in towards her from the back. To the now somewhat frightened girl, the shadows seemed to morph into shadow-hands, with long bony fingers trying to grab her.

The noises were getting louder, now with a mix of whispers.

Everything in Taliyah told her to run, but she was lost. She was spinning, trying to find the source of the sound. But, in doing so, she lost her sense of direction, not knowing if she came down from the south or north.

Tears began to well up in Taliyah's eyes. Her heart was pounding so loud she swore the whisperers could hear it. Her breathing was quick, her eyes darting everywhere. Soon, with the whispers getting louder – but not more clear – and the sounds from the – what she thought – animals, Taliyah couldn't hold in the scream.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her head, clasping a hand around her mouth. The scream still came out, but it was muffled by the leather gloved hand. The person whipped her around, and with a free hand, tore off his helmet.

"Sh sh sh!" The man seemed friendly enough in the dark light, but Taliyah just screamed into his glove louder. The stranger put his other hand on Taliyah's cheek.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," the stranger said quickly. "If you promise not to scream I'll remove my hand, K?" Taliyah quieted and, after a second, nodded 'yes'.

"Good... good." the man slowly removed his hand. And, wondering what Astrid would do in a situation like this, Taliyah took her thumb and quickly jabbed him in the eye. The man recoiled with a suppressed shout of pain. He tumbled backward on his butt, holding his hands over his eyes.

Taliyah turned to run, but behind her was the biggest scaly beast she had ever seen. The Monstrous Nightmare roared loudly and lit his body on fire, making the surrounding area dance with shadows.

Taliyah yelled in fear, taking a step back. The dragon could be seen gathering flames in it's jaw. The man behind Taliyah shouted, "Scorch! Don't!"

But before the dragon could even think to listen to it's master, a double bladed ax seemingly came flying out of the blackness of the shadows, lodging itself into the side of the dragons neck. The beast tumbled sideways, falling to the ground in front of Taliyah. The man screamed as he watched his dragon fall to the ground, dead.

Astrid came running towards Taliyah, but before she could reach the other girl, another masked man charged out of the shadows. He slammed into Astrid's shoulder, tackling them both to the ground, the man landing on top. Astrid shouted, struggling to get free, but the man had her pinned.

Taliyah was crying and backed up from the two fighting on the ground. The man that Taliyah had jabbed in the eye ran past the three of them, kneeling down beside his dragon, muttering to himself, or to the corpse of the dragon.

More men and dragon, some riding dragons, appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Someone picked Taliyah up, pinning her arms to her side. No matter how much she squirmed, Taliyah was stuck.

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"I've never heard of Fishskin," Hiccup said. He was sitting in his house – or office, it depended on what he was doing at that point in time. He had one of his Loki's with him. The Loki's were Hiccup's private guards/spies. They weren't the best in one regard of fighting, but were well rounded in everything Hiccup would need. That included fighting, leading, and spying. He only had about ten Loki's, all but one out doing a mission.

"Yes. That island isn't on to many maps," the Loki said. Hiccup adjusted his position in his chair, flipping a pencil between his fingers.

"So why bring it up?" Hiccup asked. He was intrigued. His curiosity had gotten him into trouble before though, so hopefully the Loki didn't have anything too interesting to say.

"We've found Berkians on that island," the Loki said. Hiccup tilted his head. The little conversation already too interesting for Hiccup's own good. He took a deep breath.

"Why would I care if Berkians were at that island?"

The Loki wasn't looking forward to telling Hiccup about his island. He didn't know that his home island was destroyed. Heather was a high officer, having a strong influence on even the Lokis. When Heather said that Hiccup was already informed on the state of his island, she also instructed them not to bring it up with Hiccup, for his sake.

But, after he learned that Heather and Valka ordered a meeting about Berk without Hiccup's permission, the Loki guessed that Hiccup might not know about his island. Hiccup's question confirming it.

"Berk is no longer in the hands of the Berkians," the Loki said. His voice was professional, trying not to waver as Hiccup locked cold eyes with his.

"My Lokis aren't suppose to tell jokes," Hiccup said sternly, his eyes staying on the Loki's.

"I'm sorry to say this isn't a joke, sir. Drago had invaded the village months ago. There's nothing left on the island."

Hiccup leaned back in his chair, the Loki breathing a quiet sigh of relief when Hiccup broke eye contact. Hiccup groaned and put his head in his hand.

"And this was kept from me?" Hiccup slammed his fist on his desk. "For Months!" The Loki didn't answer. He looked at the ground.

"Your mother, sir, she -" Hiccup held up his hand, silencing the Loki.

"I'll have to deal with my mother," Hiccup said. "She thinks she's doing whats best for me, but that just so happens to be treason." Hiccup groaned again. "Cepher and I had a deal," he said quietly.

The Loki knew this would upset Hiccup, but he asked anyway. "If you were so concerned about Berk, why'd you put the archipelago under Cepher's watch?"

Hiccup slammed both fists on the desk, his eyes steel and angry, with a glint of a tear in the left one. "Because by the time I signed on, Cepher already had the archipelago under watch!" Hiccup pushed everything off his desk with one swoop. "He said he'd keep an eye on the islands. Said he would tell me if Drago entered the archipelago."

Hiccup took a breath. "I played by the rules! I taught his troops how to ride dragons! Gave him a fighting chance! And all I asked was to be kept up-to-date on the -" Hiccup didn't even bother finishing his sentence.

The Loki dared to take a step closer, but Hiccup began to speak again.

"How many Berkians are on Fishskin?" he asked.

"Not sure. At least six."

"And how did they hide on that island for so long?"

"Small town, so we didn't have anyone there for a little while. But, after we learned about Berk, I sent a newer recruit to the island; to stay close the archipelago -"

"And you didn't inform me?" Hiccup interrupted.

The Loki nearly choked on his words. "Sir, miss Heather had told us you already knew and to not disturb you with the news again. Just as a precaution, I sent someone to the town, just cause it was close to the archipelago and not outside our borders. The Berkians didn't show up for about a week since... urr... the _events_. And after our friend did find out, his Terror Messenger went missing. We didn't get another letter until today."

"So, Heather's a traitor as well as my mother? I bet this isn't the first time they went behind my back." Hiccup said. He looked up at his Loki commander. "Have they gone behind my back again?"

"Every conversation I have with that girl is some coded message, so if they did and I was told about it, I assure you I didn't know you weren't in the loop," the Loki said. Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Alright... I believe you. Don't make me regret it," Hiccup warned. He released a shaky breath. A tear was still threatening to fall and his breath would hitch every then and again. His next question would be asked with a shaky breath, "Do you have any names on the survivors in Fishskin?"

The Loki cleared his throat. "No." Hiccup wiped his eyes with his hand.

"I see," he said. "Anything else?"

The Loki nodded. "We've discovered that Valka is holding a meeting with Cepher at Fishskin. Probably about Berk."

"Go to a place I've never heard of before," Hiccup said to himself in thought. "I trust you sent troops there to disrupt their meeting?" The Loki nodded.

"Affirmative."

"Good. But, send a message and tell all of them to return here."

"Sir?"

"I'm done putting up with Cepher and I apparently can't trust my own mother." Hiccup laughed at his luck, but grew serious again. "We aren't going to play by their rules any more. Pull all my troops back to the Edge, we're going into this was alone." Hiccup took another shaky breath and leaned back in his chair. "The way it should have been from the start."

The Loki nodded and left the room. Hiccup looked to his left, his dragon Toothless still sound asleep on his stone slab. Hiccup was glad his little tantrums didn't wake him. But, he knew that after he did what he was about to do, he would be starting a three-way war between Drago and Cepher. Looking at his sleeping friend, he wasn't sure they would be able to do it. Even with dragons, they weren't strong in numbers.

Hiccup sighed and looked at the door his Loki had walked out of. And he decided that, even if he had to die to do it, he would make sure that he avenged all those that he had lost on Berk.

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 ** _You all have been killing it with the reviews. Four chapters before this one and we're at 54 reviews! Freaking insane!_**

 ** _My profile is acting a bit funky and it's pissing me off, so hopefully this isn't effecting notifications or your experience. I do hope it's just me._**

 ** _See you all on the next chapter!_**


	6. To Start Anew, To Forget The Old

_**A/N: I felt inspired! I wrote a new chapter!**_

 _ **You guys have been so awesome with the reviews. Freaking 70 reviews in just five chapters? Undeniably awesome! And how do I repay you? With a super late chapter. And one that's the shortest yet. Hey, I only ended it cause I liked the ending sentence, what can I say?**_

 _ **School and work are a bitch (pardon my french, by the way). It's just hard to write and even harder to force yourself to write.**_

 _ **But, if you're still into the story, here's the chapter!**_

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Chapter 6

"To Start Anew, To Forget The Old"

His eyes were clamped shut hard. Sweat beads formed on his forehead and ran down his face. His nightmare didn't show pictures, but the sounds and feelings of a previous encounter.

"Come on, dragon boy," a whisper hissed at him. The sound sent chills down Hiccup's spine, as if Loki himself had spoken.

"You don't want to have to tell the big man you disobeyed again, do you?" Suddenly, a sharp sting rocked his body. He couldn't tell where the hit had come from or what sinister device was used. He just knew that he had received many like it before.

"Come come, dragon boy, you don't want your scaly friend to get hurt again, do you?"

His eyes shot open, his green eyes looking everywhere, fearing the one with the voice was in the room. Hiccup's blanket had been tossed aside and over the edge of his bed. His whole body was damp with sweat.

He groaned and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Hiccup felt the mark that had been forcefully burned into his skin on his left bicep. It had developed into a reflex. He did it every time he woke up from a nightmare like that.

The mark was the sign of the ones who captured him. It was a flaming skull; the man who designed the mark wasn't a very bright or creative man. But the mark got their point across, that was for sure. And now it was embedded into his skin. That part of Hiccup's past would be with him forever.

Hiccup coughed violently and stood up to get ready. To fight through another day.

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He couldn't believe this.

Hiccup was standing on the beach of a rather small, uninhabited island. When he said small, he meant that you could fly around the perimeter of the island in about half an hour. If you were to compare it, it was still much larger than Berk, but not so much as Dragon Edge. Or, old Dragon Edge. Hiccup was rather fond of the name, so he thought he'd pass it on to the next place his army set up shop.

One of his Lokis were with him. He and his black colored Nadder. The skin coloring was rare for that type of species, but that's why it was given to a Loki.

"How 'bout this one, sir?" the Loki asked, peering through his helmet at Hiccup. Hiccup's face was twisted in a scowl. The Loki noted he seemed to be wearing that expression more and more often. The task of leading an army against two others – one seemingly unstoppable – and the recent betrayal of his mother and Heather. They were definitely starting to effect the stubborn man.

"Is it on any maps?" Hiccup asked, looking into the forest, arms crossed.

"No, sir."

Hiccup sighed. "Then it's fine," he said. He turned to the Loki. "Come on, we've gotta make sure our troops are all back then we've got to destroy the Edge." He mounted Toothless. The dragon grumbled, feeling Hiccup's negative attitude. "Plus, I've got some Berkians to deal with."

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The place was suddenly flooded with men and woman on dragon back.

Astrid didn't know whether to be appalled or terrified. She was somewhere in between.

The sun was hardly over the ocean. Everything was illuminated in a deep orange. The air was biting her skin with cold teeth and her head spun.

Her wrists were bound tightly together. The man that had tackled her had carried her to a metal cage. It wasn't on the island before, at least it hadn't been in the middle of the freaking village. She took a wild guess that the strange men on the dragons had brought it. Taliyah was beside her, too, also bound at the wrists.

She looked scared, with wide eyes and a trembling shiver. Astrid knew she should say something to comfort her, to make her feel better, but all that came out was coldness. "What did you do?" She mentally slapped herself. 'What were you thinking' was both a little mean and it also didn't make it sound like she was blaming Taliyah for the horrid men riding dragon raiding the town.

The girl only looked at her with big sad eyes. Astrid groaned and turned her gaze. She didn't need guilt right now.

There wasn't any retaliation from the people of Fishskin. A few drunks tried to hit the men with their mugs, but the armor from the men looked like they could withstand arrows and spear tips. Their clothing was odd. They all wore this matching dark red uniform. It seemed to be made out of leather, but there also seemed like there was another material involved. But, if there was, Astrid didn't know what it was.

Soon, everyone was trapped in a cage. Except for the mayor and two girls. On was about Astrid's age and the other was more mature. The wrists were bound and they were stripped from their weapons. They were talking to a man who wore a black uniform that wasn't exactly the same as the other soldiers. He must have been the one in charge.

The two girls seemed to quickly grow sad and depressed as the one in dark clothing spoke to them. He motion for four soldiers and their dragons to approach. They helped the women to mount the dragons, and soon the four took the ladies away on their dragons.

The man then turned his attention to the mayor. After speaking to him for a few moments, the mayor seemed to go into thought. He looked around, and then spotted Astrid. His hands were tied behind his back, so he motioned with his head towards her.

Astrid's eyes grew wide.

The man seemed to thank the mayor, then told a soldier to take him away. Astrid guessed it was to a cage like her's.

The man began walking over to her cage. She thought about trying to escape if he opened the door, but there wasn't a point for him to do that. Anyway, she wouldn't have been able to get far if she even did fight her way past him.

The man crossed his arms. He had long black hair that fell down to his shoulders and piercing blue eyes. His face was chiseled with hardship. This man had been through some heavy stuff, making Astrid think she wouldn't be able to take him, not without her ax, at least.

He sighed. "I wanted to do this civilly." He shook his head. "Thanks for that little show of _heroism_. After that, people started trying to attack my men. Now I've got the whole town in cages. Like animals!" He cursed. "Astrid Hofferson... You're a Berkian?"

Great, Astrid thought, not only does he control an army that rides dragons, he knows her name and Berk. Could he be working for Drago?

"I'm going to need you to identify your friends for me," the man said.

Astrid stared into the mans eyes. He was tall and looked strong. He was intimidating. But, by the way he broke eye contact, it was obvious that he didn't get stared down very often.

"Why?" Astrid ordered. The man looked at her with his head tilted to the side.

"My commanding officer told me to track you and your friends down. Clear things up?" he said with the same orderly tone Astrid used.

"No."

"Didn't think so. Now, tell me who your friends ar-"

"HEY! ASTRID!" the girl being called sighed. Snotlout was being escorted to a cage not to far from hers. The man looked at Snotlout, more specifically, his belt buckle. The Berkian crest. He looked at Astrid, then walked over to the cage Snotlout was placed into.

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"Why'd you tell him?" Astrid shouted at Snotlout. If she wasn't clutching the bar of her cage for dear life, she would have hit him. The cage they were in was airborne, with two dragons clutching onto leather straps at the end of a thick chain.

"He said he was with the Resistance. Thought you wanted to know about those guys," Snotlout tried to explain. He had only given the names of his friends. No point in having the other Berkians, they had said they were content with their lives at Fishskin.

Astrid looked up at the people on the dragons. They were with the Resistance? So they were taking them to their base? Or _a_ base of theirs. But why?

They were high above the clouds, the sun's rays making the thick layer of clouds – it looked like you could walk on them – glow a soothing color of fire. She hated to admit it, but it looked beautiful, and it was possible only by the monsters that were carrying them.

It was all so wrong. When something that you've been taught all your life, since day of one, and you suddenly see that that could all be wrong. Just like that? It made her walls go up higher, reinforced with iron. She didn't except what she thought- No. What she knew was wrong, was suddenly okay. The beasts that the men rode were different. Or maybe the men were different. Not quite human... or perhaps they were crazy or sick.

The point was, was that if she had a chance, she would still kill a dragon. A single flight behind bars wouldn't change that.

Aside from some small talk – they couldn't speak about escape, the men on dragons could hear – they rode mostly in silent. Taliyah had some annoying questions about dragons. Something about how they could fly them now. Astrid looked at her expressionlessly.

The girl was still young. She had only heard the dragon raids on Berk from her bedroom as the others fought. If these sick dragon sympathizers got a hold of her, they might be able to turn her. Astrid couldn't let that happen.

"No matter what, you stay glued to my side. Got that?" Astrid told Taliyah firmly. The girl looked into her eyes. The feeling she got from Astrid told her that she was dead serious. She nodded quickly.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing screech could be heard. There was no mistaking; Night Fury.

The black beast came from above. Sure enough, a man – with a helmet different than the others – was riding it. All eyes froze at the man and beast. Astrid's breath caught when the man steered his beast right up next to the cage. Astrid could see his eyes scan her and her friends. She got a good look at his dragon, too. It's green eyes didn't look friendly, but at the same time, they didn't look mean, either. It was like the dragon was studying them, just like it's rider.

Then, without warning, the man let loose a gut-retching scream. His dragon seemed startled and glided further away from the cage.

The dragons above them and the Night Fury stopped moving forward, but the cage didn't. For a few terrifying seconds, the cage swung back and forth. Taliyah, the twins and Fishlegs screamed, Astrid and Snotlout just tightened their grip on the cage bars.

The man continued his little tantrum on his Night Fury, cursing them and his luck. Then it turned into a few choking sobs. Finally, he gathered himself. Staring at Astrid, he said, "Out of all the people, you guys survive. Pft... just my luck, I suppose." He looked at Taliyah. "You're lucky. If you didn't have a little girl with you, I might just drop you into the ocean."

He flew up to the dragons carrying them and spoke to the riders. "Take them to the Edge, put them in separate cages, then get ready to carry them to the new location." The man and his Night Fury took off not a moment later. They disappeared underneath the clouds.

Suddenly, Astrid didn't want to join the Resistance anymore.

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Hiccup slammed the door behind him and he threw his helmet against the wall. He grabbed at his hair. There was so much in side of him that he wanted to get out, but when he tried to scream, to shout to curse, nothing came out. He ended up slumping in a corner of his room.

Toothless climbed through his window. He nudged his snout against his friends leg. He cooed sadly.

A tear rolled down Hiccup's cheek. "Figures. My childhood bullies survive, not my father." Hiccup patted his friends nose. "Thanks Toothless. Looks like we've got each other... and only each other."

Hiccup forced himself onto his feet. "And now, we've managed to get ourselves stuck in a three-way war."

He went over to a window. His house was built at just the right spot so he could see the main village where his army and their families lived. He watched as they packed up their belongings and putt them on their dragons. And what they couldn't carry was burnt. Houses scrapped for parts.

Six months it took for this place to be built. And now they were moving. Hiccup regretted giving his position to Cepher. He regretted a lot of things nowadays. He looked at Toothless, who was also staring out over the village.

"I'm still going to win, Toothless. You and I are going to lead this group of misfits to victory," Hiccup said. Toothless gave a gummy smile. Hiccup forced his smile and looked back out the window. "Some people have to fight for happiness. So, lets fight."

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 _ **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! As always, leave a review and I'll see you on the next chapter!**_


	7. An update to the progress of this story

**This isn't a chapter, just an update.**

 **I guess this story is going into a bit of a** **hiatus, merely because I have no freaking clue how to move on with this story.**

 **I have ideas for the end game, just not any ideas on how to get there. So, until I can get my head on straight and working again, I'm going to be putting this story on pause. And trust me, it hurts me more than it hurts you.**

 **Go out and find yourself another story, I promise I won't be jealous.**

 **Thank you all for showing such support on a story that has but a few chapters.**

 **Until my next post, I'll will see you all, later!**


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